A mysterious painting of a Victorian era butler – which had been left in a family attic for decades – is set to feature in an exhibition celebrating life in service at Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham’s grand country house. Visitors to ‘Echoes of the House: Stories in Light and Motion’, which launches on Tuesday 7th July, will be able to gaze into the characterful face of local man William Denton thanks to an unknown artist who captured him in oils.
It is believed the portrait dates from the late 1850s when William would have been approaching 60. But no one knows why or by whom the manservant was painted, resplendent in Wentworth Woodhouse household livery, beside huge stone pillars. “William’s descendants brought the picture to us when we asked the public for memories and artefacts of servant and estate worker life at the house and we were really excited,” said Victoria Ryves at Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.
“It is pretty rare to see the faces of working class people from that period. Usually only the wealthy could afford to have portraits painted or opt for the latest invention, photography, which had only arrived in Britain in the late 1830s. We think William’s story and his portrait will be very popular at Echoes Of The House.” William’s painting was kept in an attic for many decades, but now hangs in the Hoyland Common home of his great-great-grandson, 85-year-old former British Steel Stocksbridge works engineer Don Rose.
Why William was painted may be an enduring puzzle, but his great-great-great granddaughter, Sheryl Hadfield, has found out a wealth of information about the man from local records and UK family history site Ancestry. The son of an estate worker, William was born in 1801. It is believed that he began his life in service to the Fitzwilliams as a boot boy aged about 14. Records show he rose up through the ranks, becoming a footman and eventually a butler to the 5th Earl and travelled with the family to their homes in London’s Belgravia and Northamptonshire.
He married twice and had six children. By 1857, William was earning £35 a year as a butler. He died in 1874 in retirement in Wentworth. Sheryl, who lives in Whiston, added: “Could he afford to pay for the painting? Or did an amateur artist paint him for free because he had an interesting face? We may never know, but we are so glad we have it. “When I look into William’s face I see a resemblance to my grandfather and my dad. But what I see most is an interesting and clever man, whose job was his education. “Moving around the country, thinking on his feet must have taught him so much. And as a trusted staff member, he may have been in the room when important affairs were being discussed or VIPs were entertained, such as the young Princess Victoria.
“Including his painting in the exhibition takes him back to the house he must have known every inch of.” ‘Echoes of the House: Stories in Light and Motion’, an Arts Council England-funded exhibition, will run until November.